A food expert, and second Vice President of Nigeria Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST), Dr Ignatius Alaka, has labeled farmers using inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, synthetic hormones to grow their crops and raise livestocks as hired assassins.
Alaka said the farmers were killing consumers slowly and painfully. According to him, these farmers kill consumers of their produce gradually and painfully. This is even as he called for increased consumption of organic products.
Presenting a paper titled “Food Safety, Hygiene and Adherence to Quality Organic Standard,” during a ensitization workshop on organic agriculture for rice farmers and processors in Ebonyi State recently Dr. Alaka, said research has shown over the years that these in-organic substances used in farming had very serious deleterious harmful effects, even as he revealed that globally, over 1.5 billion cases of food borne disease outbreak are reported resulting in 3 million deaths.
“Organic agriculture, which is governed by strict government standards, requires that products bearing the organic label are produced without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering etc. The use of organic fertilizers to grow nutritious foods is becoming internationally acceptable in-view of its numerous health benefits.
“Consumers should be aware that you are what you eat. Anyone who has ever had food poisoning can tell you it is an experience you would never wish for your enemy. To avoid this, it is important to learn about food safety guidelines pertaining to the preparation of foods.
“However, there is inadequate supervision and proper monitoring by food safety officers and the enforcement of food hygiene regulation is weak. There is also the lack of training in food safety and good hygiene practices for food handlers.
“Rice is one of the most important grain crops in the world. Growth in population combined with rapid urbanization has helped to fuel the demand for rice. In order to meet up with the high demand for rice, farmers have to increase their production capacity by adapting conventional means of using in-organic fertilizers and pesticides.
“The way people access food is important for their safety and health. All food manufacturers have a responsibility to provide consumers with safe, wholesome foods. Safety is not an option but it is an essential part of the planning, preparation and production of foods.
“The safety and quality of foods is becoming a matter of increasing concern. Information is more readily available to consumers through the mass media and they are considerably more aware of existing and potential risks from pesticides, food poisoning and a poor diet,” he warned.
He said a lack of consideration of safety can result in serious threat to public health and according to him, in most countries serious penalties exist for those who contravene hygiene and food safety legislations.
He also, urged farmers to take advantage of the high demand of organic produce across the world, saying consumer demand for organic food is growing at a rate of 20 to 30 per cent annually year and that it is estimated that more than 6 out of every 10 Australian households now buy organic foods, hence Nigeria farmers must key in now and take advantage of this opportunity to grow organic rice and other crops.
